One held in Patiala, 2 in Rajasthan in Nabha jailbreak case

(Representative Image)

Based on interrogation of arrested “mastermind” Palwinder Singh Pinda, the Patiala police on Wednesday arrested a man for aiding last Sunday’s Nabha jailbreak in which six criminals had escaped. Gurpreet Singh of Mangewal village in Moga, arrested from Patran, provided logistical and monetary support besides shelter to the men who attacked the jail, said senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gurmeet Singh Chauhan.

Gurpreet was held when he was trying to escape eventually to Uttar Pradesh, said the police. A pistol, some other ammunition, and a car were seized from him. Meanwhile, Pinda was sent to police remand for 11 days after he was presented before a judge on Tuesday night. The police also got remand till December 9 of the jail’s then assistant superintendent Bhim Singh, warder Jagmeet Singh and sweetshop owner Tejinder Sharma on Wednesday evening.

In another development, Punjab police detained two persons in connection with the jailbreak, one of whom is a friend of an escapee, from Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan adjoining Punjab. Gurpreet Brar and his brother-in-law Angrej Singh were traced to Kishanpura village last night. Brar, a resident of Ferozepur in Punjab, is a friend of Gurpreet Sekhon who is among those that escaped from the high-security jail in Punjab on Sunday.

Police said they were traced on the basis of their mobile phones’ location and taken to Punjab for questioning.

Action in Haryana

The Haryana police on Wednesday sent in-charges of three posts in Karnal to police lines for dereliction of duty after Palwinder Singh Pinda, who facilitated the escape of six prisoners from Nabha jail, managed to pass through Karnal in an SUV. “Chowki incharges of Sitamai, Ramnagar and Munak have been sent to police lines,” Karnal SP Pankaj Nain said.

Pinda escaped in his SUV to Uttar Pradesh after passing through Kaithal and Karnal in Haryana after assisting in a sensational jailbreak in Patiala in Punjab on Sunday. He was arrested on November 27 in Shamli district of UP, few hours after the jailbreak.

Nain said that the vigil has been increased in the district in the wake of Nabha jailbreak. However, he said, that there is no likelihood of escapees hiding in Karnal. (PTI inputs)